Hybridoma technology has now reached a level where production of murine monoclonal antibodies is possible against most antigens. Some immunogens however, stimulate poor antibody responses in mice and consequently murine monoclonal antibodies with certain epitope specificities cannot be obtained. Further, murine monoclonal antibodies often have low affinity constants and may therefore be unsuitable for use in diagnostic or immunopurification systems.
Rabbits, on the other hand, produce high titers of high affinity polyclonal antibody when hyperimmunized with most immunogens. The ability to produce rabbit monoclonal antibodies could therefore overcome many of the disadvantages of murine systems. Unfortunately, myelomas are unknown in rabbits, and transformation of rabbit lymphocytes, particularly viral transformation of rabbit B-cells in vitro, has proven difficult.